‘It’s life changing’ – Dustin Johnson’s brother Austin says caddies reaping the benefits of LIV Golf life

The emergence of LIV Golf has made already very rich men even richer, but it has also boosted the lifestyles of those who carry their bags.

The players are in ultimate control, as they are the ones who take the shots, but the caddie has a big role to play in terms of preparation, club selection, and at times, as a voice of reason.

Those who carry the bags of the elites of the game make an extremely comfortable living – but for those further down the pecking order, life can be hard.

The Saudi-funded series has spared no expense in its first year, and the caddies are reaping the benefits – albeit not at the level of those who hit the shots.

According to Austin Johnson, who caddies for his brother and LIV’s star man Dustin, it is not just about money where the caddies are concerned.

“You feel more included,” Austin Johnson said. “The little stuff, like just being able to go into the player dining and eat, and my wife can go in there and hang out and they let her go in all the Club 54s and get some air conditioning and get a snack, stuff like that.

“The (PGA) Tour was great to us, it was a great place to work, LIV is just better quality of work for caddies. I’m the most-spoiled caddie in the history of golf, don’t get me wrong, but like a lot of these guys, to have all the expenses paid for, to show up to work and know they’re gonna get a paycheck, it’s life changing. It really is.

“I’m not trying to talk bad about the PGA Tour, I’m just trying to highlight how great it is out here. I sound like a spoiled little kid but it’s just nice to be done with the round and I can go sit up in the air conditioning, have lunch with Dustin, have a decent meal versus walking over to some tent and hoping there’s food in there.”

As well as being crowned the individual champion in LIV’s first year, Dustin Johnson led the 4 Aces to the team prize.

Pat Perez was part of the successful 4 Aces quartet, and Austin Johnson referenced his bagman Mike Hartford, while suggesting the PGA Tour could do more for those further down the chain.

“Pat Perez’s caddie, he worked a few years out on Tour where he might not even have broken even,” the caddie said. “Flying around the world 30 weeks a year, sharing hotels, sharing rental cars, sharing pizzas, working your a** off and losing money.

“That shouldn’t happen in America, especially not from a corporation that makes hundreds of millions of dollars off the guys out there working. That’s not right in my opinion.”